Contents

History

The Batcycle is a street vehicle that is used by Batman in such cases when his Batmobile will not be suitable for a mission or as an alternate means of land transport. It would also be the vehicle of choice in case the Batmobile is damaged or unavailable.

In the beginning of their crime fighting career, Batman and Robin would use some vehicles to move across the city. They had a couple of normal motorcycles, which were destroyed while chasing the Joker.[1] Later on, Batman used to keep some regular motorcycles in the Batcave and just like with the first water vehicles, he didn't designed the bikes to resemble the Batmobile or Batplane, and thus he didn't named them.[2]

The first Bat-Cycle ever used was created and designed by Batwoman, who used the vehicle on her crime-fighting career. Her Batcycle would easily outrace the Batmobile, allowing her to reach crime scenes earlier that the Dark Knight. The first design was rather simple, as the batcycle resembled a normal motorcycle with the front and back fenders and the hand clutch shaped as bat-wings. Besides these aesthetic modifications, the Batcycle didn't feature any special capabilities.[3] As Batwoman disappeared without a trace, so did her Bat-Cycle.

Some time later a new Batcycle appeared, owned by Barbara Gordon. After she adopted the masked identity of Batgirl, she modified her regular motorcycle and included a Bat emblem on the front and also equipped the bike with multi-colored light beams that allowed her to track down vehicles by the tire tracks left behind.[4] Next, Batgirl adapted a side-car on her batcycle that was used mainly by Robin, when they worked on missions together.[5] Eventually, Batgirl upgraded her costume made bike and included a bat-shield on the front, making it similar to the many Bat-vehicles.[6] Unfortunately, this model of the bike was destroyed during a confrontation between Batgirl and agents of MAZE.[7] The next couple of models of the Batcycle were destroyed by the Outsider[8] and later by Killer Moth.[9]

Other Versions

This version of the Batcycle was a slim vehicle. It featured a shield capability, similar to the Batmobile. Its tires were coated with a reinforced material and also featured spikes for better grip while on the road. The Batcycle was eventually destroyed during a chase in Gotham, when Batman tried to stop She-Bat.[10]

This version is actually called the Batpod and it is an emergency vehicle built into the Tumbler, consisting of the front wheels and axle of the tumbler, should it be put out of action. After the Joker damaged the tumbler beyond repair, Batman used the Batpod as his main ground vehicle.

Trivia

Though not as popular as the Batmobile, it has been featured in toys, movies, and cartoons.